Ventilators



.' Aug. 25, 1959 w. SHEPHERD 2,900,892

VENTILATORS Original Filed July 6, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet i MW ll ml nINVENTOR H WyIey Shepherd MW/Q1 ATTORNEY 7 5, 1959 w. SHEPHERD 2,900,892

\ VENTILATORS Original Filed July 6, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WyleyShepherd ATTORNEY INVENTOR United States Patent Otiice 2,963,892Patented Aug. 25, 1959 VENTILATORS Wyley Shepherd, Miami, Fla.

6 Claims. (Cl. 98-43) This invention relates to means for ventilatingbuild ings, and more particularly to roof ventilators having a casingadapted to be secured to a roof as an upright outlet extension of anopening through the roof and having a ventilating fan in the casing.

Roof ventilators, as known heretofore, have suffered from thegreatgdisadvantage that they did noteffectively .shut out the elementsduring periods of use as well..as during periods of idleness. In a highwind or a driving rainstorm, the roof ventilators known heretofore wouldoften permit entry of rain water into the building to which they wereattached, with resulting damage to the interior of the building.Alternatively, strong winds would often 'tear the roof ventilators ofthe prior art loose from their fastenings on the roof, or at the veryleast would blow back through the ventilator and forceexhaust gasesbackinto the building from which they were withdrawn.

In an effort to overcome the above disadvantages, a number ofexpedientshave been tried. For example, it has been'proposedto provideroof ventilators with various types of hoods or coverings for protectivepurposes.

Thus, in US. Patent No. 2,332,552, issued October 26, 1943, to Belanger,an assembly of hood and shutters Was provided'which was designed toexclude the elements; however, this expedient nevertheless permitted theentry of driving rain into the casing past the shutters which were openin use. Moreover, this structure was subject to back draft when in use,was liable to be tornfrom its mounting in a strong wind, and not affordeasy access to the drive motor when assembled. In U.S. Patent No.2,551,004, issued May 1, 1951, to Johnsomit was proposed that the hoodbe pivotallywmounted; but this expedient, was likewise unavailing, sincethe hood of Johnson did not exclude the elements when the ventilater wasin use, nor did it afford easy access to the fan drive motor. H t p v tAlthough a num berwof other attempts were made to overcome the foregoingdifiicultiesand disadvantages of the prior art roof-ventilators, none,-so far as I know, was entirely successful when carried into practicecommercially on an industrial scale.

Accordingly, it is an object of my invention to provide a roofventilator which will exclude the elements when the ventilator is in usea s well as when it is not in use.

Another object of the invention is toprovide a roof ventilator of whichall the working parts are readily accessible from the .roof side of theventilator, thereby eliminating the awkwardness and hazard of usingladders or scaifoldingto :reach the; working parts for repair andniaintenance from withinthe building.

.The 'invention also-contemplates the provision -of a roof ventilatorinwhich the working parts are readily accessible without disassembly ofany portion of the structure surrounding the working parts.

It is' a 'further objectof the invention to provide a roof ventilatorinwhic'hback draft due to strongwinds will be reduced "to a minimum,

Still another 'dlije'et of the invention is "the provision" of El a roofventilator which will not be susceptible of dislodgment from itsfastcnings in a strong wind.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a roofventilator adapted to serve either as an intake or an exhaustventilator. H

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a roof ventilator inwhich the air passageways are so arranged as to permit the movement ofvery great quantities of air without obstruction to its even flow.

It is also an object of my invention to provide a roof ventilator thatis efficient in operation, that is easily installed, operated andrepaired, and that is economical of manufacture and rugged and enduringin construction.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent by the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a roof ventilator according tothe invention, showing the hood in closed position, which is theoperative position of the ventilator.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing the hood in openposition, which is the inoperative position of the ventilator.

Figure 3 is an elevational cross sectional View of a ventilatoraccording to my invention, taken on the line 33 of Figure 5.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, but taken on the line 44 ofFigure 5.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional View of a ventilator according totheinvention, taken from below on the line 5-5 of Figure 4-, looking up.

Broadly stated, the present invention contemplates the provisionof aroof ventilator having a casing adapted to be securedto a roof as anupright outlet extension of an opening through said roof and having aventilating fan in the casing, and a hood over the casing to protect itfrom the elements. Thehood may be mounted on the casing for pivotalmovement about a. substantially horizontal axis which may be disposedintermediatethe horizontal length of the hood. The horizontal width andlength of the hood may be substantially greater than the horizontalwidth and length of the casing; and the hood may be of downwardlyconcave shape so as to provide in effect a cap disposed over but spacedfrom the upper portion of the casing. The upper marginal portion of thecasing may be disposed as high as or higher than the lower marginalportion of the hood to provide subst-antially complete protection fromthe elements. The hood may be provided interiorly with a downwardlyprojecting pyramidal deflector to facilitate the passage of air throughthe ventilator. The motor may be mounted on the outside of the casingand protected from the weather by the hood, or mounted on the outside,of the hood and protected by a separate casing; but in either event,upward tilting movement of the hood .will provide access to the motor,as well as to the other working parts.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 shows in side elevation a firstform of roof ventilator according to the invention, and comprising atrunk or casing 10 which may be of generally rectangular or circularshape,

and which is adapted to be secured to the roof 12, as an upright outletextension of an opening 14 through the roof, as best seen in Figure 3.The casing may be secured to the roof in any suitable manner, andflashing may be provided if desired to insure a weather-tight joint. Afan ring 16 is mounted in the upper portion of casing 10 as by welding,riveting, brazing, bolting, or the like, and is nicely rounded upwardlyto a substantially circular throat opening, as shown in Figures 3 and 4.It will of course be understood that fan ring 16 may also be invertedfronrits illustrated position, and may take a variety of ring forms.Extending across thethr'oa't -of 51% fan ring 16 is a pair of crossbars18 attached at each end to the fan ring and braced intermediate theirlengths by offset bracing struts 26 which are attached at one end to thefan ring and at the other end to their respective crossbar 18.

Mounted firmly on the crossbars 18 is a bearing member 22 in which fanshaft 24 is journaled for rotation about a vertical axis disposedbetween crossbars 18. At the upper end of fan shaft 24 are mounted aplurality of fan blades 26, so inclined that when fan shaft 24 turns inone direction, the air adjacent the blades 26 will be propelled in onedirection, and when fan shaft 24 turns in the other direction, the airwill be propelled by the blades 26 in the opposite direction. At theopposite or lower end of fan shaft 24 is mounted a fan pulley 28, for apurpose to be described hereinafter. It will of course be understoodthat the positions of the blades 26 and pulley 28 on shaft 24 may bereversed, so that the pulley is at the upper end of the shaft and theblades at the lower end.

Secured along the upper marginal portion of a side of casing as bywelding or riveting or the like is a substantially horizontal first hoodsupport member 30, as seen from below in Figure 5. Member 30 extendslaterally outwardly from the sides of casing 10, as shown by projection32. In other words, the length of member 30 is substantially greaterthan the width of casing 10. Member 3'!) may be a bar or channel orother convenient structural form. The outer extremities of member 30 areprovided with downturned ends 34 which carry substantially horizontallyoutwardly projecting pins 36, for a' purpose to be describedhereinafter.

At the opposite end of casing 10, adjacent an upper marginal portionthereof is a second hood support member 38, which also extends fullwidth of casing 10, and extends laterally therebeyond substantiallyequal distances on either side thereof, as at projections 40.Projeotions 40 are provided with downturned ends 42 hearing at theirlower extremities outwardly projecting horizontal ears 44 which areprovided with holes 46 for a purpose to be described hereinafter. Thus,it will be seen that ears 44 provide in effect downwardly offsetterminal portions of second hood support member 38.

Pivotally mounted on pins 36 is a hood 48 having rounded end portions 50and vertical sides 52. Hood 48 thus is generally downwardly concave. Itwill also be observed that the horizontal length of hood 48 issubstantially greater than the horizontal length of casing 10; and thatthe horizontal width of hood 48, as represented approximately by thelength of members 36 and 38, is substantially greater than thehorizontal width of casing 10. By virtue of the concavity and greaterhorizontal dimensions of the hood, it will be observed that the hood isat all points spaced a substantial distance from the casing, but that atthe same time, the hood forms in effect a cap over and around the upperportion of the casing. It must also be noted that the lower marginalportion of hood 48 extends at least as low as the upper 7 marginalportion of casing 10, as represented by the upper edge of the casingitself or by the upper edge of fan ring 16. Indeed, in Figures 3 and 4,it will be noted that the upper marginal portion of the casing 10extends somewhat above the plane of the lower marginal portion of hood48.

Depending from the upper interior surface of hood 48 substantiallycentrally thereof is a generally pyramidal deflector 54, which is madeup of four equally inclined triangular pieces of sheet material of whichthe apices meet at the lowest point on the deflector to form the nadirof the pyramid. From the positioning of this inverted pyramid directlyabove the fan, it will be obvious that air passages are provided whichprovide for the flow of air on all sides of the casing 10, both on theinside and on the outside thereof. For example, it will be obvious thatthe path of air leaving a building through the ventilator of theinvention will resemble the path of water in a fountain formed bydirecting a stream of water straight up. Similarly, the path of airflowing into a building through the ventilator will be the exactreverse. In other words, the novel shape and relation ship of parts justdescribed provides a smooth and even air flow over an unobstructedcourse.

Mounted on a vertical side 52 of hood 48 is a motor casing 56 having aflat top and a single curved side wall. Casing 56 is open at its bottom,but otherwise compietely encloses fan motor 58 which may be aconventional electric motor having conventional wiring circuits andswitches, not shown. Motor 58 is fastened to a motor mounting plate 60which in turn is adjustably carried by base plate 62 mounted on verticalsides 52, by means of threaded bolts 64. Adjustment of motor mountingplate 60 toward and away from base plate 62, for a purpose to bedescribed hereinafter, is aiforded by adjusting nuts 66 which may bescrewed up and down on threaded bolts 64. Motor 58 is verticallydisposed and is provided with a downwardly depending drive shaft 68having at its lower end drive pulley 70, for a purpose to be describedhereinafter.

Interconnecting fan pulley 28 and drive pulley 70 is a fan drive belt72, which may be a V-belt or other conventional form of drive belt.Mounted on the inside of casing 10 and enclosing fan pulley 28 and theportion of drive belt 72 which is inside the casing is a fan belt casing74 which forms a first fan belt guard. This fan belt casing encloses theinner portion of the belt and the whole of the fan pulley substantiallycompletely and protects them from dirt and extraneous matter orcorrosive fumes which may be drawn into or expelled from the building.Mounted on the outside of the casing 10 and extending substantiallybetween the casing and motor 58 is a second fan belt guard 76, whichdoes not completely enclose the outer portion of the fan drive belt 72,but

which is provided only with a top and sides. Guard 76 may desirably beformed from a single piece of sheet material simply by bending down thetwo side edges of the sheet which has previously been cut to taperedform in order to accommodate the convergence or divergence of the tworuns of the drive belt occasioned by differential diameters of the fanpulley and the drive pulley. Thus, a second fan belt guard is providedwhich is effective to prevent or reduce damage to that portion of thedrive belt which lies between casing 10 and hood 48.

The operation of the device of Figures 1 through 5 is as follows:

When it is desired to exhaust air or other gases from a building onwhich the ventilator is mounted, motor 58 is actuated so that driveshaft 68 turns in a counterclockwise direction as seen in Figure 5. Fanblades 26 will then draw air up from the building and project it againstdeflector 54. Deflector 54 will distribute the air in all directions sothat it will spread out horizontally from the axis of rotation of thefan in all directions. The air will then be deflected downwardly bysides 52 and end portion 50 of hood 48, and will pass into the outer airadjacent the sides of casing 10. Conversely, when it is desired to bringoutside air into the building on which the ventilator is mounted, it ismerely necessary to actuate the motor in the reverse direction, in whichcase blades 26 will draw air in through the reverse path. In

either event, it is obvious that a smooth, fountain-like air flow isprovided, which requires a minimum of power expenditure and enables thehandling of the maximum quantities of air with the smallest possibleventilating unit. A primary feature of this fountain-like air flow isthat air enters the ventilator from all sides thereof and passes outthrough the ventilator about all sides thereof. Thus, the stressesinduced in the ventilatorby the pressure of air passing therethrough arereduced to a minimum in the ventilator of the invention, since the airmoving on all sides of the ventilator equalizes the pressures exertedassassin the moving air in the ventilator. l a

It will also be observed that with the hood down in operative position,as shown in Figure 3, driving rain can not enter the ventilator uniteven when the unit is in use. As is. well known, raindrops blown bywinds of hurricane force often travel substantially horizontally, withthe result that they have no ditficulty entering most louvred air ventstructures. However, in the structure of the present invention, in whichthe lower marginal portion of the hook extends on all sides of thecasing at least as far down as the upper marginal portion of thatcasing, even raindrops traveling horizontally cannot find entry tocasing 10. By the same token, the profile of my novel ventilator is soreduced in elevational area and in height that strong winds have muchless tendency to loosen it from its fastenings on the roof. Moreover,the circuitous air paths afforded by my novel construction greatlyreduce backdraft through the ventilator when it is being used as anexhaust unit; and the desirable streamline shape enabled by the use ofthese circuitous routes further reduces wind resistance of theventilator unit.

When it is desired to have access to the fan or motor for cleaning orrepair, or when it is desired for any other reason to expose the workingparts, the hood 48 is merely swung up, \as shown in Figure 2. It will beobserved that the hood pivots upwardly about its mounting pins 36, whichforms a horizontal pivotal axis disposed intermediate the horizontallength of the hood and transverse thereto. With the hood in raisedposition, the fan is readily accessible; and since the motor is carriedwith the hood in a downwardly open casing 56, upward swinging movementof the hood renders motor 58 readily accessible without theinconvenience of working from below.

When it is desired to return the ventilator to operative condition, thehood is simply swung down again to its closed or forward position, inwhich its rests adjacent its swinging end but intermediate itshorizontal length on horizontal cars 44, which are downwardly offset asaforesaid so that when the hood is resting thereon, the lower marginalportion of the hood will be disposed in a plane substantially parallelto the plane of the roof. In other words, the downward offset levels thehood. Wing nuts 78 are adapted to register through holes 46 andcorresponding holes in the lower marginal portion of the hood, in orderto hold the hood in its lowered position. Needless to say, the wing nutsmust be loosened before the hood can be swung upwardly and must bere-engaged in order to hold the hood in its lowered position. Instead ofholes 46, it will of course be apparent that wing nuts 78 could bepivotally mounted on hood 48 to swing into and out of outwardly openingslots in horizontal ears 44.

When the ventilator is in operation, pulleys 28 and 70 are drivinglyconnected by belt 72; and hence, when hood 48 is swung upward, it isobviously necessary to disengage the belt from one or another of thepulleys. To this end, I have mounted motor 58 in such a way that it willbe movable inwardly or outwardly, toward or away from the fan. In orderto effect this movement, adjusting nuts 66 are screwed inwardly oroutwardly on threaded bolts 64. For example, when it is desired to movemotor 58 inwardly to release belt 72 from pulley 70, the adjusting nuts66 contacting the inner side of motor mounting plate 60 are screwedinwardly toward base plate 62. Plate 60 may then be moved inwardly; andif desired, nuts 66 on the outer or motor side of plate 60 may also bescrewed inwardly on bolts 64 to hold motor 58 inits inward orineifective position during upward swinging of hood 48. Conversely, whenhood 48 is lowered and the ventilator is once more placed in operativearrangement, belt 72 will again be slipped over pulley 70 and the nuts66 on either side of plate 60 Screwed outwardly to tension belt 72betwen pulleys 28 and 70 andmaintain motor 58 in its operative ordriving position.

This application is a division -of my copending application SerialNumber 441,236, filed July 6, 1954.

Although the presentinvention has been described in conjunction withpreferred embodiments, it is to be under- .stood that modifications andvariations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention, as those skilled in the artwill readilyunderstand. Such modifications and variations are considered to bewithin the purview and scope of the invention and appended claims.

I claim:

1. A roof ventilator comprising in combination a casing open at its topand bottom and adapted to be mounted on a roof over an opening therein,a fan mounted in said casing for rotation about a vertical axis, adownwardly concave hood mounted on and over said casing for pivotalmovement about a substantially horizontal axis disposed more closelyadjacent one side of the hood than the opposite side of the hood, saiddownwardly concave hood having a substantially vertical side, a fan.motor mounted on the outer side of said substantially vertical side ofsaid hood a substantial distance from said axis and on the same side ofsaid axis as said opposite side of the hood, said motor having adownwardly extending vertical drive shaft, detachable means drivinglyconnecting said drive shaft and said fan, and a motor casing mounted onthe outer side of said substantially vertical side of said hood andenclosing said motor but open at its bottom, whereby better access tosaid motor is atforded upon upward swinging of said hood about saidhorizontal axis, said motor and casing being disposed outside the airstream.

2. The invention of claim 1, in which said drivingly connecting meanscomprises a drive belt, and means for moving said motor toward and awayfromsaid fan, whereby said drive belt may be respectively disengagedfrom and re-engaged with said drive shaft before and after said upwardswinging of said hood.

3. A roof ventilator comprising in combination a casing open at its topand bottom and adapted to be mounted on a roof over an opening therein,said casing having at least one side wall, a fan mounted in said casingfor rotation about a vertical axis, a downwardly concave hood mounted onand over said casing for pivotal movement about a substantiallyhorizontal axis disposed more closely adjacent one side of the hood thanthe opposite side of the hood, said downwardly concave hood having asubstantially vertical side spaced outwardly from said side wall of saidcasing a substantial, horizontal distance, 'a fan motor mounted on theouter side of said substantially vertical side of said hood asubstantial distance from said axis and on the same side of said axis assaid opposite side of the hood, said motor having a downwardly extendingvertical drive shaft, detachable means drivingly connecting said driveshaft and said fan, and a motor casing mounted on the outer side of saidsubstantially vertical side of said hood and enclosing said motor butopen at its bottom, whereby better access to said motor is afforded uponupward swinging of said hood about said horizontal axis, said motor andeasing being disposed outside the air stream.

4. The invention of claim 3, in which said drivingly connecting meanscomprises a drive belt, and means for moving said motor toward and awayfrom said fan, whereby said drive belt may be respectively disengagedfrom and re-engaged with said drive shaft before and after said upwardswinging of said hood.

5. The invention of claim 4, in which said drive belt. extends throughan opening in said side of said casing.

6. The invention of claim 4, and a first drive belt guard mounted on theinner side of said side of said. casing, and a second drive belt guardmounted on the" outer side of said side of said casing and extendingsub-- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSJacoby Feb. 23, 1897 Nowitsky Apr. 25, 1933 Sutclifie Sept. 15, 1936 10'8 Hopkins May 9, 1939 Winton Apr. 23, 1940 Boyer Oct. 15, 1940Hi-rschman Apr.,14, 1942 Belanger Oct/26, 1943 Gustafsson et a1. Nov.30, 1943 Ammerman Oct. 16, 1951 Ammerman Jan. 19, 1954 Drechsel June 28,1955

